To Be a Wife
by lunarlychallenged
Summary: Elle Woods loved the Delta Nu engagement song, and she eagerly awaited the day a man chose her, so her life could begin.


_Daughter of Delta Nu, Soon to be Fiancee_

Elle Woods, Delta Nu's most promising freshman, was enraptured. Was a party a sort of unromantic place to propose? Yes. Were the girls drunk? Definitely. Was the song everything necessary to make this moment perfect? Absolutely.

One of the junior girls stood in front of the sorority, who stood in front of a drunken end-of-year bash. The girl beamed, eyes slightly glazed, but smile undeterred by the alcohol. Her boyfriend- no, fiance- knelt before her, sweaty hand holding a ring box. Even if the moment wasn't so romantic, the fact that he had been carrying around the ring made up for the atmosphere. He must really, really love her.

Elle, ever the romantic, was enamoured with the engagement song. Any good life was spent by the side of someone who loves you, and she eagerly awaited the day that the sorority would sing the song to her. Most of the song seemed really achievable. It wouldn't be hard to keep him from roaming; everybody told her that she would age beautifully, like Jennifer Lopez or Jennifer Aniston. Looking beautiful was never a waste of money, and she was smart about shopping. She knew that she could make him the happiest home possible. The part that really resonated with her, pulsing through her veins, was the idea of her life beginning when a man chose her. She wanted her life to begin. Not her life as Elle Woods, mind, but her life as Mrs. Elle Something. She wanted it so badly, she could feel her ribs aching as her heart expanded.

Her eyes scanned the room. She made eye contact with one of the frat boys, Warner Huntington the Third. She had gotten to know him pretty well in the past year, and she thought that he was a little bit totally flawless. He smiled at her, perfect teeth gleaming even in the dim lights. She smiled back, knowing she looked just as perfect. Since he looked perfect, and she looked perfect, they would probably look perfect together.

She could just picture it. He would propose at the end of their college careers. She would follow him to wherever he chose to go to graduate school. She would stand by his side, a perfect, beautiful wife, while he became a Congressman. They would be the Kennedy family 2.0, hopefully with fewer assassinations. They would be perfect, they would be happy, and life would be easy and beautiful.

She sang with the rest of her girls, wholeheartedly wishing the new fiancee a happy, perfect marriage, but harboring the dream of getting that herself. She knew that she could do everything that the song requested; she just needed to get things started with the right guy. The right guy would make it impossible to do anything less, right?

 _Now that a Man Chose You, Your Life Begins Today_

"I found my way," she said to a crestfallen Warner. She smiled, but it was a thoughtful smile. She had said no to marrying him. Fancy that.

She turned away from him, sashaying from the room. Her life had begun today, and her heart was full of love, but not for a man. It was full of love for herself. She had always loved herself just fine, but it was full of a love for herself that did not rely on being loved by somebody else. That was definitely new, and she definitely liked it.

Maybe that was the problem with being a part of Elle-and-Warner. He left, and she crumbled. He left her behind, and instead of allowing herself to grow, she followed him like a lost dog. She already had Bruiser; she didn't need another dog in her dorm.

Elle loved Elle, and that was perfect. She had chosen herself. That was enough.

She still thought, however, that there was room in her heart for more love. An awful lot more love, and she knew exactly who she wanted to give it to.

"Emmett!" She burst through the doors of the court, searching wildly.

The reporters made it kind of impossible to see him. Was it rude to ignore them for the sake of love? She didn't care.

Okay, yes she did. She answered questions as she pushed through. She found herself looking for a corduroy jacket, but she realized that it wouldn't be there. Her fashion sense had turned him from an outer cutie to an outer hottie, but it also meant that his clothes would blend in with everybody else's.

She jogged away from the crowds, ducking into a quiet alley. She called Emmett on her cell phone.

"Hello?" His voice made her stomach flip with glee.

"Hey, Butthead, when am I going to see you later? I can't find you."

He let out a breath on the other end. A sigh. Relief? Nerves? Hesitation? She couldn't tell. "Finished with Warner already?"

She smiled. "Your offer was better than his."

"Okay." His voice was thoughtful. "Your place in 20?"

"Deal."

Her heart pounded the entire way back home. His voice was winding through her head the whole way.

 _Did you really think I'd let you get away?_

 _You are the best thing about this place._

 _Elle, you should know-_

What should she know? God, she wanted to know. If, assuming miracles exist, he was going to tell her that he loved her, it was probably better that she cut him off. She'd had a little bit more of herself to grow into before she could get by without holding his hand all the time. Emmett was better for her than Warner, but she needed to be better for Emmett than she was for Warner. To do that, she'd needed to grow up just a little more. Now that she had, she needed to hear him _say it_.

She burst through her door, irrationally disappointed to see that he hadn't arrived yet. What should she say to him? I love you. You are so much better for me than Warner is. You have helped me become a better person, and I never want that to stop. You'll never have to worry about me getting away again.

He walked in, dapper in his suit, and her mind totally blanked.

"It's time to get serious," she blurted.

He raised an eyebrow. "Sure, Elle. Were we not already?"

"I want to get super serious. Like, chip-on-my-shoulder-serious." She beamed at him, and he cleared his throat a little, lips curling in a way that was so dreamy that her toes curled. Had she always thought that he was so handsome? She must not have; she had hardly noticed that he was a guy at all until Christmas. She couldn't tear her mind from the fact of it now.

"What's the chip on your shoulder?" he asked, stepping a little further into the room.

"There's something you haven't told me yet," she edged.

"Congratulations?" He offered the word as a question, but his eyes showed that he knew it wasn't what she meant.

"Does 'Elle, you should know,' ring any bells?" She was standing right in front of him. When had she walked closer? She might have been bothered by her lack of self control, but his hair was a little messy, he smelled really good, and she really wanted to kiss his Adam's apple. There was no room for regret, only an overwhelming hope.

"Maybe," he said with a slight smile. "Does 'you look hot' sound familiar?"

"Did you really think I would let you get away?" She meant to ask it as a retort, but it came out high and desperate.

He pulled back slightly, eyes sobering. His head tilted away so he could look at the ceiling. "Elle, what did Warner want?"

 _Screw it._ If he wasn't going to say it, she would show him. Her life was beginning, and she was choosing him to share it with. "Warner isn't a factor," she said. She grabbed the lapels of his jacket and used the momentum to propel her lips onto his.

He gave a startled groan, his hands grabbing her waist. His hands felt like they were burning her sides, but it only fueled the fire already burning. She grinned against his lips. He smiled in response, and their teeth knocked together. It was sloppy and almost painful. Not flawless, but definitely perfect.

He pulled his face from hers, thumb caressing her hip when she tried to follow. "Elle, you should know," he began, delight dancing in his eyes. Her breath caught as she waited. "I really, really love you."

She beamed at him. She had been so eager to hear him say it that she hadn't planned a speech to return the sentiment.

He pulled his face a little farther away. "'I love you too, Emmett? Thanks, Emmett? You look totally hot, Emmett?'"

"I love you." She pecked his left eyebrow. "I love you." A kiss on his Adam's apple. "I love you." Her lips brushed against the tip of his nose.

He was laughing when he kissed her mouth again.


End file.
